Fight For Freedom
by tread-on-me-not
Summary: Our last chance has come. Our time is up. Their task is nearly complete. This will be either our greatest moment, or our final hour. But no matter the cost, we must fight. So let the games begin... Will focus on story, but there will be an eventual romance between Raiden & OC. Rated M for violence & language.
1. Chapter 1

_**Fight For Freedom**_

Hello my dearest honeybunnies! I hope you are all well. This is my very first fanfic, I had previously been lurking around fanfiction enjoying other peoples imagination and decided that maybe it was time for me to share. I honestly have no idea if you guys will enjoy this story, or if it will be a major flop, but I hope you like it! ;) Please do let me know what you think of it in the reviews as I welcome opinions and ideas.

I have been a major Mortal Kombat fan for years and my favorite characters are Raiden, Fujin, and Kung Lao, in that order. And I wasn't sure what other people would think about a romance between Raiden and an OC, but I've always liked his character and thought that even the big man himself could use a little love ;). As for the actual violence itself, since this is my first fanfic, I'm a little nervous, so I'm gonna put it in rating: M just to be safe for now…I hope this goes well….hahaha.

A quick note, I'm planning on bringing not only Lord Fujin back (since he's also one of my favorite characters), but also Lord Ohona (God of Earth), Lord Hinoku (God of Fire), and Lord Kumari (God of Water). Though to be honest, I'm not so sure about that, though I do like them, they were only in the early video game and so we really don't know their personalities, or even if those are their actual names. I will also work on keeping everyone in character, and the plot will be a mixture of the different Mortal Kombat video games, and maybe the movies, but the plot will most likely change.

Another thing that you might notice about my writing is that I will usually not refer to Raiden, Fujin, or the others as "gods," but instead, I'll refer to them as "guardians." I'm sorry, I know that I am going against Mortal Kombat "principals", but I'm a very realistic person, and I simply can't bring myself to call them that. I hope this isn't a big fooey to everyone

Lots of love to you all! I hope you enjoy!

Another quick note though…..

_**I do not own any of the characters except for my OC, the other characters all belong to the Mortal Kombat title and Netherrealm Studios**_

**Chapter 1**

A gust of wind swirled on the floor of the sky temple under the starry night sky in Earthrealm. The element rushed around until it formed a figure of a man with glowing white eyes, he was strong, around 6'7" in height with a long white braid down his back and a few stray bangs framing his time weathered face. He stepped up to a taller figure who was standing not three feet away from him.

"Raiden, the tournament is at hand, this is the final chance that Earthrealm has to keep the forces of Shao Khan at bay."

Raiden turned around to face his long time friend and trusted ally. He took a deep breath and dipped his head, his hat covering his eyes. The guardian stood there saying nothing for a few minutes, then finally spoke.

"Yes, this is the last of the ten tournaments, if we lose this one, Shao Khan will conquer all."

"Do you think that your apprentice is ready?"

Raiden looked up at Fujin "He has trained hard for this day and knows what is at stake."

"Yes, but is he ready mentally? The mortal still has much to learn, the line where his loyalty lies runs thin," Fujin countered, his autumn voice causing whispers in the air around them.

The thunder guardian shifted his weight from one foot to the other and crossed his muscular arms. Raiden nodded "He is still green, but he is the best hope we have. The Shaolin monks also agree and have chosen him to represent them in the tournament."

The wind guardian relented. "Are there any other fighters that will participate as well?"

Raiden uncrossed his arms and nodded once more "yes, there is Johnny Cage, the actor who will be attending in order to prove himself, Sonya Blade who has come to free her officer who I believe Shang Tsung has taken the liberty of locking him up on his island, and a few others, all formidable warriors."

Fujin nodded approvingly "Very well, I will watch over the Earth while you are gone, I have sent Ohona, Kumari, and Hinoku to the other ends of the realm to watch for any possible intrusions."

"Good, the tournament will begin tomorrow night, I will see you again after it is finished"

The wind guardian nodded once and wrapped the air around himself to teleport out of the sky temple.

Raiden walked over to the ledge and peered at the stars in the sky sighing. Despite his outward calm demeanor, his heart was struggling with fear. They had lost the last nine tournaments and had only one more to save the realm; this was the last try. His throat closed, he could not fail this realm. He thought of all the innocent lives that were completely unaware of their possible impending doom, if they did not win this fight, all of them would be ripped from their peaceful realities and would be slaughtered mercilessly by the hand of Outworld.

He could not allow that to happen. Raiden took a deep breath again, then bowed his head and prayed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sonya to SF, do you read me, over."

"This is SF to Sonya, we read you loud and clear."

"Good, lock on to my wrist COM and keep a close eye on my location, wait for me to call you once I get Jax, over."

"Will do, SF HQ over and out."

Sonya Blade was on a ship that was taking her to the island that supposedly held her CO. Though she was skeptical since the information had come from an insider, and the last time that she had trusted an insider Special Forces had suffered a great loss. She could see the face of the thug now in her mind as she lowered her head. She closed her eyes and felt the foreign breeze brush her face as the anger welled up inside her.

Kano. She would bring him to justice and he would pay for everyone that had died because of him. The insider that had tipped them off on the location of her CO had also disclosed that it was the same location where the Australian Black Dragon leader was currently residing. She was going to find him, and she was going to make him pay.

But first, she had to save Jax…

_**Earlier that day…**_

Lights flashed as Johnny stepped out of the sleek black limo, he straightened his silk lined blazer and put his signature glasses on. "Oh yeah" he grinned broadly and strutted up to the reporters, soaking up all of their attention.

"Johnny! Johnny! Have you finally finished filming Ninja Mime?" One reporter asked.

"Where are you spending your free time at the moment?" Inquired another.

"Johnny, the ladies are dying to know, how often do you work out that incredibly fit body of yours?" One bold female reporter asked in an exaggerated deep breathy voice.

"Yes, Tahiti, and all day every day" he answered each of them at once pointing to each with one hand and pulling up his glasses and winking at the female reporter as he answered her question. "I'd like to show you personally." The reporter blushed and put on her best –grab a man- face. She was about to answer when another male reporter interrupted.

"Johnny, though your moves on the screen look fantastic, many of the fans were wondering just how many times your stunt double covers you in a shoot."

Johnny frowned at this "I don't have a stunt double."

The reporter let out a short laugh "Oh come on John, we all know that your moves are all wire work and stunt doubles, I mean come on, who can do that stuff in real life, really?"

Angry and disheartened, Johnny pushed passed the press and stormed into the movie set leaving the reporters shouting for him to come back. "Wire work? None of my stuff is wire work" he huffed. Johnny had heard this before and he couldn't seem to get the people to believe that it was all him and that he had no assistance; he needed no assistance.

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, having fun with the press again?" A long time friend of his called out as he walked over with a lopsided grin.

John turned to see him and rolled his eyes behind his shades. "Mike, I'm not in the mood for your mind games."

"Aww, come on man, you know you have nothing to prove to them, it's all you bro." Mike put an arm around Johnny's shoulders and shook him a little.

Johnny pushed Mike away and glared at the floor. "Yes I do, if no one will believe me, than I'll just have to find a way to prove myself."

There was a dark glimmer in Mike's eyes that Johnny didn't see. "Welllll, if you're so anxious to prove yourself, I heard there was a tournament of sorts that….oh, never mind."

The actor looked up and cocked an eyebrow "what about a tournament?"

"Oh it's nothing really, forget I said anything."

Johnny narrowed his eyes "Mike…"

"Johnny, it's too dangerous." Johnny glared at him and balled up his hands into fists. "Oh alright man, geez, relax. There's a tournament that's held every 500 years or so where all the strong fighters go to, it's only for the best warriors on Earth, the victor gets eternal glory. The perfect place to prove yourself eh?" He tapped an elbow against Johnny's arm.

"The best warriors on Earth huh?" Though the actor wore glasses, Mike could tell that he was seeing stars. With a sudden sweep of overconfidence and purpose, Johnny looked at Mike straight in the eyes "when and where?"

Mike's eyes gleamed. "The tournament is happening tonight, get in the car and I'll give your assistant the directions on how to get there." Mike clamped a hand on Johnny's shoulder "And John, good luck."

Johnny flashed him a million dollar cocky smile and walked off.

Mike stood there watching him walk away with a smile, how easy it was to convince this mortal fool to betray himself for his own personal glory. Mike began to walk off in the opposite direction and as he did so, his physical appearance shifted from a healthy young man's form to an older sickly looking old man with white hair and a white beard, and eyes that looked glazed over from years of living in his unnatural state. His plan was going perfectly, now all he needed was to bring Prince Goro back, and the tournament would begin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Here is chapter 3! :D I'm hoping to beef up my chapters now. Also, just a reminder, this story will be following a mix of the different games and movies, along with a couple of my own plots. **

**I do appreciate criticism and reviews**

**Aaaand, still don't own Mortal Kombat ;(**

**Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 3

The cool night breeze felt good against my skin. It was a fantastic break from the searing heat that this strange island possessed in the daytime. A low murmuring of conversation from the different groups of people gathered under the starry night sky, and despite the clear heavens, there was a thick ominous feeling about the place. This stupid island was creepy and beautiful at the same time. But maybe I was just grouchy because of the six-inch stilettos that I had been wearing all day. Had the director of the White Dragon told me that I would be here earlier than this morning, than I wouldn't be cramped in these shoe prisons.

I shifted my feet again, trying to get comfortable and silently complaining in my head for the tournament to begin. Eventually, I gave up the mental yelling and took in my surroundings once more.

The place itself had an otherworldly feel, though at the same time, the roofs of the buildings were sort of curved at the edges, like the pointed tops of the Forbidden City. The people that surrounded the place were of more interest to me though, as anyone of them could be my opponent. There were several ninjas from the Lin Kuei clan, I could distinguish them by symbol the on their clothing. There appeared to be three of them, one in red, one in yellow, and the other in blue. Of the three however, the one in blue looked to be older, experienced and more dangerous than his companions.

As though sensing my perusal, the blue Lin Kuei looked over at me from across the courtyard. I held my gaze unblinking as did he, though I noticed that there was no real malice in it, as I had none in mine. In those eyes I saw a weathered soul, and something more…as though I had missed something. Hmm…well, since I couldn't quite put my finger on it, I continued my inspection on the other fighters turning my head from the silent blue warrior.

There was a tall red female warrior close to me that was actually the first one I had noticed when I had entered the courtyard. She seemed to be stiff as a statue and glaring at the world in front of her, as I wasn't sure of her yet, I didn't stare at her too long. It would suck to make enemies before the damned tournament even began.

I swept my eyes across to the other side of the "outdoor arena" once again and caught the gaze of two deep eyes that were black like coal, a severe difference from the shock white skin he possessed. Immediately I recognized the weasel; Quan Chi. From what I heard from my fellow comrades of the White Dragon, he was dangerous and not to be taken lightly. He stood there staring straight into my soul, doing wonders on creepifying it, though I didn't show it. I kept my face carefully emotionless as I took a look at the yellow ninja next to him as I was desperate to look away from him.

At that very moment, my head whipped back in sharp pain and I let out a soft gasp as my mind shot forward into the future. In a split second my mind saw a piece of the yellow warrior's future. I could feel his pent up rage, his pain and sorrow were buried deep within it. I opened my eyes inside the vision and saw the back of the warrior, he was in some sort of place that had fire surrounding every corner. He was yelling at someone in front of him, though I couldn't make out the words since they were muffled like some sort of dream. I couldn't see the person in front of him either since he was blocking my view. Just before I was going to peer around him to see who he was quarreling with, I was brought back to the present.

My vision went from white, back to the darkness of the starry night. I pressed my eyes to the heel of my hand and tried to regain my balance. "Oww…" Deep breaths, deep slow breaths, I chanted in my mind. Once I felt back to normal, I looked up again and caught the eye of Quan Chi giving me a creepy self-satisfied smile. I sneered; disgusted.

As I shifted my feet again, I heard another small gasp of pain and turned my attention to the source. A really tall man with blue robes and a rice hat had his face buried in his hand as he tried to catch his breath. Intrigued, I leaned forward trying to get the conversation between him and the Shaolin that was speaking next to him. The only thing that I could pick up was "…isions" isions? Did he mean visions? Someone else was able to see the future? How was that possible, who was he, and how is it that he is able to see them? I watched closer as something caught their attention and they both looked down at the amulet on the big guy's chest. He took it off and they both looked at it, he murmured something I couldn't hear and put it back on, shifting his attention to the space in front of him.

A small procession of drums commenced and a sickly looking man with a couple scantily clad ninja looking chicks following behind, came up to the balcony before us. No doubt the balcony was for affect to make himself larger than life. "…I am Shang Tsung, and in the coming…" unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I was distracted from whatever the old man was saying by some loud moron from across. He was yapping to a female who looked like Special Forces, no doubt trying to impress her, she however, didn't look the least bit amused by him.

"That old geezer's the final challenge, they might as well give me the belt now, they do belts right?"

Someone behind him cleared their throat. The loud mouth turned and revealed the same old man that was standing on the balcony not two seconds before!

Stunned, Mr. shades stuttered "how – how did you…"

Shang Tsung smiled "appearances can be deceiving." As he said this he floated right back up to the balcony, hands behind his back.

I balled up my fists, shifted forward and barred my teeth, this man may be old and sickly looking, but he was definitely not to be overlooked.

"For our first match, Mister Johnny Cage!"

Cage, with a sudden burst of self confidence stepped forward "that's right, that's right, who's it gonna be?"

Shang Tsung, not amused yelled out "Reptile!"

Suddenly a green guy hoisted on the roof appeared and jumped down. He stood shoulders tall with a look of silent dark over-confidence.

Johnny didn't seem to be catching on to the situation as he said "nice stunt, who's your agent?" Reptile took off his mask revealing a hideous face and screeched at him.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung yelled and let the games begin…


	4. Chapter 4

Whoohoo! Fourth Chapter! And I still don't own MK… :(

…Just my OC…On with the show!

Chapter 4

The fight was over relatively quickly with Cage dishin out some pretty impressive moves. He even punched the guy in the nuts at one point, it was almost comedic to watch the guy do a full split yelling "ho!" and Reptile completely stunned and bent over in pain.

However, despite his great victory, the man couldn't shut up after he won.

"He got Caged. Oh yeah, that's right, I am so pretty." He put his shades back on and strut around the courtyard, there were some muffled groans from the audience around me at the display.

Apparently, Shang Tsung wasn't much impressed either as he called on another match.

"Very good Mr. Cage, now, for the second match, Baraka!"

A guy with a face I could only describe as a hybrid between a crab and a tarantula with swords coming out of his arms stepped up to the plate.

"Alright, nice makeup, but is it really necessary?"

Baraka extended his swords from his arms further and sharpened them across each other, growling. "They will taste your flesh" he sneered through those awkwardly sharp teeth.

"Begin!" came the scratchy command from the balcony once more.

Johnny got into his fighting stance rocking from foot to foot, a little more wary of this opponent than the last. I noticed how the shades he wore prevented Baraka from figuring out his next move though watching his eyes since he couldn't see them. Hmm…maybe this guy isn't so lost after all.

Taking the defensive, Johnny didn't move hoping that Baraka would attack with blind animal rage. Which is exactly what happened.

With little patience, Baraka ran forward right fist ready to connect to Johnny's skull. Cage, expecting this, blocked the attack with his left arm and slammed his right fist up against the bottom of his jaw sending him flying backwards.

Baraka sat back up and spit out some blood growling angrily. He turned his fists towards the floor sending his blades to the ground, propelling himself up.

Wising up, Baraka took the defensive now and started to shoot sparks straight from his arm blades, taking target practice out on Johnny. Johnny dodged them and in a shocking show of power, sent a green energy blast towards Baraka, stunning him and sending him flying back once again.

I heard a few quiet gasps in the audience from the energy blast that Cage had thrown and wondered at it also.

Baraka got up quickly, however, Johnny swiped a roundhouse kick to his face making him teeter, but Cage just grabbed him back and began throwing punches to his face and abdomen. Baraka, having had enough, took advantage of Johnny's close proximity and sliced up Johnny's chest with his blades in quick scissor motion. The yell Cage let out sounded like a dying animal as he stumbled back clutching his chest in pain. His shirt was a tattered mess of shredded cloth and stained with his own blood. The first signs of true anger began to show on his face and he seemed to suddenly take the match seriously.

In a sudden rush of anger and adrenaline, Johnny rushed a shadow kick to Baraka's face and slammed another energy blast at him one after another. He then grabbed one of Baraka's shoulders and crashed his knee into his spine. With a sickening _crack_, the match was over.

Johnny stood over his opponent as victor breathing deeply. When the red seemed to have cleared from his head his obnoxious personality came back out. "Oh yeah, all of that, without any wires."

"Very good Mr. Cage, now, FINISH HIM!" came the wiry voice to break the stunned silence.

"Finish him?" Johnny drew back and looked at the other warriors surrounding the courtyard in disbelief. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not gonna _kill_ anybody."

"Very well, the tournament will resume tomorrow" Shang Tsung said indifferently and walked off the balcony the same way he had come in, with the female warriors in tow.

"That's it? Really? Hmm…now where'd that hottie go?" Johnny said rubbing his hands together.

I watched quietly from the sidelines as the actor was looking around for the blonde. I turned my head left seeing her exiting already, without the actor noticing. Just then, the Shaolin and the tall guy with the hat came up to him, blocking my view.

Uninterested, I turned my attention towards Quan Chi who was slinking back into the shadows.

_Follow him_, my mind screamed at me. Without a word I walked behind the pillar avoiding being seen by anyone and cautiously went after the sorcerer, trying not to make it obvious that I was following him.

Too bad the yellow clothed ninja decided to block me before I could even get halfway to Quan Chi.

"Who are you woman?" he peered at me with blank white eyes. _How strange, he has no pupils_.

"Who's asking?" I shot back, glancing over his shoulder to get a view of Quan Chi rounding a corner.

"I am Scorpion" he noticed my perusal of the sorcerer and looked back at me "and I'd suggest you stay away from Quan Chi, lest I be forced to teach you a lesson. I will not go easy on you simply because you are a woman."

Annoyed, I crossed my arms "what are you, his bitch?"

Clearly enraged he clenched his fists and strove to stay calm, "I'm warning you female, stay away for I will have no problem in killing you if you don't." With that, he spun on his heel and strode after his master.

Despite being seriously irritated, his threat did not go unheard. I knew that now was not the best time to follow him considering he would be alert to my presence, and being fatigued from the traveling this morning, I would stand no chance against him now.

I huffed out a breath and headed towards the rooms, deciding it would be best to get some shut-eye instead.


	5. Chapter 5

Nope, still don't own MK, just my OC.

Chapter 5

"What do you see in him?" Liu Kang said, clearly exasperated and unimpressed by the actor.

"He is a hero Liu Kang, though he may not yet know it"

Raiden stood with his arms crossed, dismayed, watching Johnny leave. How was he going to put together a group of people to protect their world when they were too blind to see the truth? But he had to keep his hopes up, the faith he had in his mortals was higher than any of the other guardians, not even Fujin believed in them as much as Raiden did. After having spent many a millennia watching over them, he had seen the extent of their strength and will power, they would come around in the end, he was sure of it.

Deep in his thoughts, he suddenly saw a young mortal woman walk past them. Furrowing his brow, he wondered which realm she was fighting for. Still, it didn't make sense, none of the other realms had mortals like that of Earthrealm, though some of the people from the other realms were also mortal, they lived far longer than humans did, and so were no truly considered mortals. But she looked distinctly human, and he was not aware of any other fighter of Earthrealm aside from the group he was trying to put together. So who was she? She was beautiful, even by immortal standards.

"Master?" Raiden snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he had been staring at the young woman as she walked all the way to the rooms. He looked back at Liu Kang's questioning eyes.

Liu Kang had also noticed the girl, but wondered why Lord Raiden had taken such concentration on her. "It would be best to retire for the night. The worst is yet to come, and you need your strength" Raiden supplied to Liu. Liu Kang nodded, though he knew that Raiden was partially lying since he had never been any good at it. Still, not wanting to press him any further, he followed him to the rooms on the island that Shang Tsung had provided.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

The night's rest did me good, as I felt less cranky than yesterday, it was just too bad that I didn't bring some flats, oh well, I could use my heels as weapons in a fight if necessary. That didn't fix the fact that I couldn't sneak up behind anyone though, which kind of defeats my purpose here.

I was trying to locate Quan Chi again to see what evil plans he was up to, but the man simply could not be found. So I gave up and headed towards the arena from yesterday, the next round should be coming up shortly.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

As I walked into the courtyard, I took in my surroundings. There were fighters lined up in front of the fighting platform, all of them looking deadly serious. I noticed several other people, the blonde, the actor, a shaman, a guy with a bladed hat, and a black guy had joined the Shaolin and the tall guy with the rice hat. They were in a group talking quietly to each other. To my right, Shang Tsung had noticed me and started to walk up to me. Uneasy, I braced myself for whatever he would dish out.

"I see you made it yesterday" he said when he finally came up to me. I shifted my feet and said nothing. Quan Chi decided that it was a perfect time to slither up also. He smirked at Shang Tsung's look of distaste for the older sorcerer's presence. _Hmm, the sorcerers don't like each other, could be useful information later_.

"Indeed, we are pleased by your presence, as will the Emperor be once he learns of your attendance."

Even though that remark confused me to no end, I didn't let it show. "I am here strictly on White Dragon business."

"I see, and how is your master doing? I heard Jian is weakening with age."

"He's as strong as his name implies" I retorted, unhappy with Quan Chi's comment.

"Ah, and you are every the loyal student. But I've heard that you haven't been fully sworn in as a White Dragon member, do you waver in your loyalty?" Quan Chi started to plant the seed of doubt.

"I don't need to swear anything to anyone to prove my loyalty, the fact that I act upon their orders says enough."

"Not according to other clans" he had his hands on his hips, still smirking with his coal eyes darkening further.

"We are not like others, we are an organization devoted to protecting freedom," I said, refusing to waiver.

"But you are still not completely sure of your organization yet are you? They sent you here last minute without telling you ahead of time, with no details on something that is extremely important to your realm. They don't _trust_ you." He dug the dagger in deeper.

I didn't say anything, I couldn't, what he said was exactly right. This is part of the reason why I refuse to be sworn in as a legit member.

Seeing his chance, he went in for the kill. "I know that it must be difficult to trust someone who doesn't even trust you. They are just using you to get what they need, that's why they don't tell you anything, they don't want you to be one of them." I cringed. "You are fighting for a lost cause, they gave you over for the tournament so that you can be sacrificed for them to keep their pathetic lives. Selfishness."

His words seemed to have merit, and even through my strong belief in freedom, something that the White Dragon claimed to fight for, I couldn't doubt that there was a feeling of uncertainty about them. For one thing, they wouldn't tell me specific details regarding this tournament, or many of my other missions. I also encountered prejudice from some of the other members since they didn't believe an outsider belonged in their midst. But I tried to make myself believe that this would go away once I had proved myself loyal, and I had.

The White Dragon was an ancient organization that came up during the times of the oppressive emperors, they would fight those who tried to take their freedom. They were first a group of family members that quickly expanded to combine other Chinese people who fought for the oppressed people of China. Eventually, they started to fight other groups like the Black Dragon and more importantly, the Red Dragon. The Red Dragon was their archenemy, the Red Dragon's founder was said to be Daegon, the brother of Taven and was very powerful and widely feared. The White Dragon had allied itself with The White Lotus to combat these forces, but they had never told me about the other realms, nor had they told me that this tournament could be the death of me.

Hard to believe that all of those thoughts went through me head in half a second, but just as fast as it came, it left. Even though I was sometimes unsure of the details, Master Jian had always come through for me, he had faith in me, and had asked me once to trust him, and I still did. Even though they didn't give me many details about the tournament, they told me that Quan Chi would try to turn me against them, to make me doubt reason and my beliefs, they had warned me against him. I would make sure not to let them down. After all, I had a job to do.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

The next bout was to begin in a matter of minutes. The tension in the air was so thick; you could cut it with a knife. Each fighter knew what was at stake for their realm; Raiden was no exception to this.

He had spent the night gazing up at the sky from the balcony of his room, watching the stars from the enchanted island. Sleep had not come to him. After they had rescued Jax from Shang Tsung's prison, he, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage had joined their group, Nightwolf and Kung Lao following soon after.

Standing now before the fighting ring, he was once again dismayed as not only Kung Lao, but also Nightwolf had been defeated. They were both formidable warriors and had both lost their bouts. The fact that Kung Lao had stole away in the first place had angered Raiden, his disrespect for his Shaolin masters was unacceptable. But what was done was done, Raiden was just glad he came out of the match without any severe injuries. After what happened to the first Kung Lao, he didn't think he could take watching this one die as well, Kung Lao reminded him too much of his ancestor.

He also worried about Scorpion. He had promised that if he spared Sub-Zero's life, he would request to the Elder Guardians to bring back his clan, but he wasn't entirely sure that the Elders would do this.

His thoughts were interrupted as his glanced to his right. There was the young mortal female again, only now she was speaking with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. With his arms crossed, Raiden frowned, his upper lip pulling back from his teeth slightly in a silent snarl. Was this mortal betraying her realm, assuming her realm is Earth?

He watched them intently trying to guess at their conversation. The girl's expression grew pained at something Quan Chi said, and for a few short breaths, she said nothing. Then, as if having made a silent decision, she angrily retorted something back at him. Quan Chi and Shang Tsung both laughed, and Shang Tsung replied too quietly for Raiden to hear. At this, the girl's demeanor changed, she put on a sly expression and smoothly said something as she circled them both. Their expressions hardened at her response and Shang Tsung snarled something back. She only smiled and whispered something before walking off to the sidelines.

Raiden watched as the sorcerers turned and walked back towards the high platform once again. Once they were on the platform, Quan Chi leaned in and quietly said something to Shang Tsung, who in turn looked at him saying nothing, then finally nodded. Raiden turned slightly to look at the girl behind him who was looking at her nails as if bored. He wondered what their conversation was about, but his thoughts were again interrupted.

"The tournament will now begin once more. The next match will be Rain!" Shang Tsung proclaimed in a strained voice raising his hands up for emphasis.

Rain used his water abilities to teleport himself to the ring. He suddenly yelled and put himself into a fighting stance.

"Rain will face…Tanama!" He added with a sneer.

"_Figures"_ The girl muttered before entering the ring. Once inside she took the time to talk her opponent down. "What's up with the purple? What, does your Emperor like you in that color?" Rain growled angrily, but remained in his place. Tanama grinned, "_Rain_, huh? I assume you power is water right? What the Hell are you going to do, bathe me to death?" She let out loud laugh before adding, "but I bet you're real good at it, considering all your practice with the Emperor."

Rain had, had enough and charged at her before Shang Tsung could begin the match. Tanama, having hoped for this to happen, easily dodged his first strike. "Geez, that was a joke, but by the way you responded, you would think it was true!" she said laughing loudly again.

Rain finally spoke, "you dare insult me? You, a pathetic mortal insult Prince Rain, the son of Argus?"

"What is it with you people and your hatred of mortals?" She said with her hands on her hips.

"You are beneath me!" Rain shouted with blind rage.

She laughed, "then won't it be funny when I finish whippin your ass?"

With her laughter in the background, Rain charged for an attack once again.

A/N:

Thank you for your review Obelisk of Light, I really appreciate it, haha, I've always sucked at summaries. I'm working on fixing it now.


	6. Chapter 6

MK not be mine…nor Raiden…boohoo… :,(

Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Raiden watched the match between Rain and Tanama intently, curious to see how the mortal girl would do against Argus's illegitimate 10,000-year-old arrogant son. But more importantly, who was she fighting for?

Rain began on the offensive, but pulled back quickly to the defensive sporadically to stun his opponent, but this didn't seem to bother her in the least.

He then pulled his hand up and summoned his chi for a water attack, throwing it at her with razor sharp precision. Surprised, Tanama slapped the attack away with her right arm, only to have it slice her forearm. She yelped in pain and glared at him.

Rain let out a dark chuckle as she ran towards him and began raining down attacks at him, each being easily deflected.

At one moment, she shot her fist at his face, but he caught it and squeezed the gash he made earlier. Screaming in pain she aimed her foot towards his knee, but he caught that with his other hand and slammed her into the ground, her head making a loud _smack_ sound as it hit.

Tanama screamed and coughed out blood into his face. Rain was motionless above her, and though his face was partially covered with his mask, it was clear that he was enjoying his sadistic mannerisms. Raiden grimaced at the display, shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

Above on the balcony, Quan Chi laughed darkly, black eyes gleaming.

"Finish her!"

Rain looked up at Shang Tsung's command, then back at Tanama, raising his hand for the final blow.

Suddenly, Tanama's eyes snapped open, and blanched over to white. With her mouth agape, chest unmoving, and her head back as if in some sort of trance, Rain hesitated, confused. All noise had ceased, and from the balcony, the calculating beady eyes stared as if enthralled.

After a few seconds, her eyes went back to normal, chest heaving, eyes blinking away the fog. She looked up at Rain with a mixed expression of horror, pity, and disgust, confusing Rain further. A sudden surge of strange blue energy slammed into Rain's chest, sending him flying off of her and onto the arena.

Tanama got up slowly with a blank expression on her face, refusing to betray herself to the pain. Raising her hands to the Heavens and swaying them around at bit, she used the blue energy to encircle Rain's throat and choke him until he fell over unconscious.

Having realized what had happened, the other fighters gasped in shock. And though they could not hear her, Raiden's immortal ears slightly picked up the curse she said under her breath for having been forced to use the element.

And as quickly as she had stepped on stage, she was off without bothering to wait for Shang Tsung to call the match.

"What was that?" Liu Kang turned to his mentor and the other fighters curiously turned to the guardian as well awaiting an answer.

"I do not know. It appears that she is able to manipulate energy as an element."

Kung Lao shook his head "But that can't be right, you, Lord Ohona, Lord Hinoku, Lord Kumari, and Lord Fujin are the guardians of Earthrealm, wouldn't you know if someone else were able to use that element, especially since it is such a rare element."

Raiden said nothing as he himself agreed with Kung Lao. But for now, more important matters were at hand. The tournament continues…

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The fighters were gathered inside of Shang Tsung's grand palace, awaiting the next match. The rain outside certainly fit with the ominous mood. Tension slowly grew as the minutes ticked by. The Lin Kuei were gathered in a group on one side, whispering among themselves, and the Earthrealm warriors were split into two smaller groups on the other side.

"The warriors from the other realms have lost their battles, only a few remain from Earth and Outworld." Nightwolf looked into the eyes of his comrades to instill the seriousness of the situation. But they didn't need to be reminded.

They all nodded, "Scorpion will be moving up as well, so you will need to defeat him Liu Kang. And what about Quan Chi? Will he be fighting?" Kung Lao turned to Raiden questioningly.

Raiden nodded, "as a past champion, he has a right to challenge who he pleases, when he pleases. Be wary Liu Kang, he is dangerous." Liu Kang nodded.

As they conversed, their eyes followed the yellow ninja to the Lin Kuei group where a fight had broken out. Almost immediately, Shang Tsung was there. "A challenge? Scorpion will face Cyrax and Sektor."

"This should be interesting" Sonya murmured.

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The fight was lengthy but Scorpion, being a specter of course had the upper hand. At the end, Scorpion made a quiet decision, "I will have my revenge, but I will not kill Sub-Zero."

Raiden nodded in approval, until someone at the front doors caught his attention.

"Will not, or can not?" Came Sub-Zero's sardonic reply.

Scorpion raged, "you."

Sub-Zero said nothing as he walked up to Scorpion.

"The Shirai Ryu are dead, you will suffer as they did."

"To Hell with your clan" Sub-Zero scoffed.

"No, to HELL WITH YOU!" Scorpion placed his hands on Sub-Zero's shoulders and they were engulfed in flames, disappearing into the Netherrealm.

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I could no longer take my damn heels in the pain that I was in since my match with Rain that morning, so I left them in my room and went climbing rooftops barefoot like a freaking assassin. I needed to focus on my visions, but I am very vulnerable when I do this, so I had to get away from any and all enemies that may want to take advantage of that.

Breathing in the enchanted island's sweet air deeply, I closed my eyes and slipped into the "vision world." Searching and probing the darkness, I saw nothing. Disappointed, I kept probing, and probing, and probing, until…

"He killed you clan, and this is your retribution? Scorpion, kill him" Quan Chi's face calmly pleaded with Scorpion. In front of Scorpion was the injured blue warrior called Sub-Zero.

_Sub-Zero looked up at the mirage in front of him, and stood up, one hand on his chest in pain, and the other outstretched. "That is not me!"_

_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/_

I was pulled out of the vision abruptly. Stunned at the discovery, I could not believe that I had just been in front of the blue ninja not a few days ago, I could have warned him! I hate it when these visions pull out the irony in life; sometimes things that you could have corrected, you can't because the stupid vision didn't give enough information, it's like it expects you to change the future, but never bothers to assist you.

I wondered what the story behind the two ninjas was about. Well, either way, two things were certain; one, Sub-Zero could be innocent, and two, I was running out of time.

A/N:

SuperheroAnimeGeek – Am glad you like it! I wasn't sure about this, I was especially unsure about Tanama and how to include her into the series. Let me know what you think of the story as it goes on. BTW, Tanama is Taino for "butterfly" in case you wondered at the strange name lol.

Obelisk of Light –I see your point about the "White Dragon," I honestly never thought of that one. I was going for the idea of "pure" and "good" whereas the "Red Dragon" and "Black Dragon" were evil.

I just noticed what you were talking about on how Tanama knows a little too much. Aaargh, that's what happens when you're not careful about a story...sorry 'bout that, I'll try to make it work.


	7. Chapter 7

Nope, I don't own MK, so don't sue ;)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all my darlings!

Chapter 7

The suspense in the room was almost too much too bear. It had only been a few minutes since Scorpion and Sub-Zero had disappeared into the Neatherrealm, but it felt like an eternity. And despite the number of people in the room, no one made a sound; you couldn't even hear them breathe. Would Scorpion win? And if he did, would he honor his word of not killing Sub-Zero?

Suddenly, Scorpion appeared in a rush of angry flames. As he slowly materialized, his choice was made clear by the skull he held in his hand. Raiden grinded his teeth, he could not believe that Scorpion had given up the chance to see his wife and family again for a simple act of revenge.

With a yell of rage, Scorpion enveloped himself in flames and disappeared into the realm of the dead once more, leaving the fighters to quietly disperse to their chambers to await the next match.

Raiden was to first to pay his respects to the fallen ninja, "An unfortunate end, he once defended Earthrealm from the Netherrealm armies of Shinnok and Quan Chi."

Cyrax walked up to the remains of his old friend and ally, "Scorpion will pay for this."

"Sub-Zero's fate is his own doing"

Cyrax looked at Raiden, shocked, "his own doing?"

"The Lin Kuei have a history of making ruinous decisions." At this, Cyrax began to walk away shaking his head, he did not want to be chided like a child, even if it was by the guardian of Earthrealm. But Raiden wasn't done. "Such as the Cyber initiative." Cyrax stopped walking at his words, half surprised that he knew what was going on in the deep of the Lin Kuei clan. How did he know?

Cyrax turned around and faced the guardian, "I am among those against the Grandmaster's plan. Surgically transform the Lin Kuei into glorified robots? It kills our intuition, our instinct."

Raiden was unimpressed, "did you speak out against the Lin Kuei's participation in this tournament?" Despite knowing the answer, he wanted to hear what the young fighter had to say.

"We were invited by Shang Tsung" Cyrax responded, a little caught off guard.

Raiden frowned and crossed his arms, "he pays you to kill Earthrealm warriors. I expect better, even from an assassin." His reprimanding tone made Cyrax bristle, "My loyalty is to the Grandmaster." He turned around and started walking away again.

"Victory for Shang Tsung means the end of Earthrealm, _and_ the Lin Kuei." His simple comment carried straight into Cyrax's soul. Cyrax knew this to be true, but could not afford to think this way; he was an assassin after all. But if he didn't do something, then who would? Cyrax shook his head and walked out of the room.

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I knew I was already too late to try and stop Sub-Zero's death, but I couldn't give up, after all, a life was at stake; I had to try. But with each step I took my stomach made a knot until it was almost impossible to draw breath. The rocks on the ground cut my bare feet slightly as I ran towards the temple where I knew the fighters had been gathered. But no matter how fast I ran, I already knew the inevitable. He was dead. Life is precious, and I took it seriously, no matter the person, but it wasn't just that though. The vision had specifically shown him, this means that he has to be important somehow, but I don't know how…

Finally the grand temple came into view, and despite the seriousness of the situation, my brain couldn't help but to think _boy, he really didn't spare any expense in glorifying himself, did he?_ I ignored my own brain, and tried to focus on the present.

Reaching the heavy double doors I forced them open with extreme difficulty, (they were more like boulders than doors). The split second I open the doors, before I even surveyed my surroundings, my head snapped back and with the vision I saw, I knew he was dead.

Stunned at the discovery, I slowed my run to a walk, drawing deep breaths. Seeing the pathetic remains of the blue warrior, my knees gave out from under me and I kneeled before him, my face in my hands in shame. "I can't believe it. I failed again. I FAILED AGAIN! What's the point of having this gift, if I can't even stop these things?" Shaking with nerves, I saw nothing but the skull, everything else was white in my vision. "Fucking Quan Chi!" That little bastard had egged Scorpion to kill Sub-Zero, I saw it. But what did Quan Chi have to gain from Sub-Zero's death?

How could this have happened? There must have been something…I immersed myself in the vision world and searched, but saw nothing. It was clear that I was not to be shown anything further. I drew in a shaky breath, what was done could not be undone.

Murmuring words of respect, I stood up and closed my eyes, hoping to clear my head a bit.

"His death is not your fault," said a deep, steady voice. I, however, hadn't known that someone else was standing not five feet beside me, so I shrieked in fright as a response.

"You scared me half to death! Why, what – have you been standing there the whole time? Why didn't you make a noise, cough or something?!"

The guy with the rice hat looked at me calmly, "I am sorry, it was not my intent." I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed this guy standing next to me; he's like 7 feet tall, and very well built. With his shiny blue vest and signature rice hat, he's definitely someone you can spot from a mile away.

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Seeing how she was upset, Radien uncrossed his arms and spoke to her gently, he did not want to frighten her. "What is your name?"

"My-my name? Tanama," the girl stuttered, a little distracted. Being a guardian, Raiden had been alive for many thousands of years, and knew every language on Earth. He knew her name was Taino, and that she must be from Earthrealm, but that didn't explain who sent her here.

"Who are you representing in this tournament?" though he wanted to be gentle, he also needed answers. But before he could get them, Quan Chi came out of a portal and walked over to a far corner of the room where he addressed Scorpion quietly. Scorpion bowed shortly and turned to carry out the sorcerer's bidding.

"Listen, this talk was fun, but I gotta…I-I'll see you around" Tanama said quickly, her eyes fixed on Quan Chi's form leaving the room.

Raiden's eyes widened "wait." But she was already near the exit of the back door. He could have followed her, but he knew he had to be present for the next bouts; they were due to begin soon. He clenched his fists and lowered his head, he still did not know for certain whom she was representing in the tournament, after all, the Lin Kuei were bought off by Shang Tsung, had she been also? But he had felt her chi and it had not been dark, so it would be strange if she was on their side.

Whatever the case, he had to get to the arena for the tournament. This would have to wait, once again.

A/N:

I'm honestly not too happy how this chapter turned out as it felt a bit rushed, but it's the best I can come up with right now. I want to move from this story (MK9) to another MK video game story without messing anything up, but I'm having a hard time with the transition. I'll be out on vacation for a little while, so hopefully I'll get some fresh ideas for this scene and come up with something better for next time.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey there!

Don't own MK, just Tanama.

Read on!…

Chapter 8

Try as I might, there was no way that I could track down the pale sorcerer; the bastard was just too fast, (which was funny considering how slow he walks). He disappeared into one of those portals, and since I can't make one, I couldn't follow. I ended up just rejoining the fighters at the tournament, I'm pretty sure I'm up anyway.

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"The next round will be…Tanama against…Ermac!"

Er-who? I walked up to the "stage" and took position while looking around for the Er-guy. And sure enough, here comes another guy with no pupils, what is it with that anyway? Was it some sort of fad?

He walked up to his position, strut full of self-confidence. "We are many, you are one, we will destroy you." With that, he got into his stance.

"_We…_" I muttered under my breath, a little confused. It wasn't just because of his weird way of speaking though; there was something else about him. Naturally since I have the ability to manipulate energy, I can see it as well, and his was an odd color of black and a greenish-decay looking color. Eww.

"Begin!"

My head snapped back in a whiplash motion, and my sight went blurry. What great time to get a vision.

The vision was blurred at first, but then became clearer, and in it, I saw a man…the Shaolin! He was…he…he defeated the beast whom I believe Shang Tsung had called Goro earlier.

The vision ended and I blinked to clear the fog. Looking around, I was surprised to see that Ermac hadn't attacked me yet; I guess he was sizing me up.

Well, that was an interesting vision. If the Shaolin defeated the Goro beast, and the Shaolin is from Earthrealm, then it's clear what I need to do.

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Johnny Cage had lost his match to Cyrax, a terrible lose, but his life was spared by Cyrax. It seems that despite the past misdeeds of the assassin, he still had a sense of humanity in him. It was this same humanity that Raiden counted on to hold his force together, he believed in them despite the thousands upon thousands of years worth of watching humanity tear itself apart. In the end, they appealed to their inner humanity and joined together to rebuild what was broken. This is something that the other members of his race did not understand, except for the Earthrealm guardians.

Johnny Cage still lives, but unfortunately the fighters were losing one by one, Lui Kang was their only hope now. After the afternoon had passed, they assembled in the temple once more to continue the tournament.

As soon as Ermac walked in, he powered up, showing off his immense energy. Johnny stepped back, "is it just me, or does that guy seem like he's got a lot of …people around him?"

"He contains the souls of thousands of deceased warriors," Nightwolf said.

"Well Cage, he's definitely twice the man you are," Sonya cracked. The group laughed quietly.

From the other side of the room, Kano's twisted laughter could be heard as he watched Ermac's display of power.

Jax looked over at Kano, "funny, I don't really feel the same as Kano about this situation."

Raiden turned to Lui Kang slightly and lowered his voice, "be wary Lui Kang, he is unlike any opponent you have fought before." Lui Kang nodded in respect.

"The next round will be…Tanama against…Ermac!"

Raiden blinked in surprise, he had forgotten that she had not lost a round yet. The fighters from all of the other realms had lost the tournament, only Earthrealm and Outworld remained, he was sure of it, so that must mean that she is fighting for Earthrealm. "But how is that possible?"

Lui Kang turned to his mentor, "what was that master?"

Raiden raised his eyebrows, "nothing." Furrowing his brow, he tried to figure out who else on Earthrealm knew about the tournament that would fight for Earthrealm…Of course! The White Dragon! It had been decades since he had spoken directly with them, but he knew of them as they had once fought along side the White Lotus. She must be fighting on behalf of her master's orders. How interesting, they had never sent him a fighter from their clan before; they must have finally realized the seriousness of the situation. But he doubted that she would be able to stand against Goro, most cannot.

"Begin!"

Raiden lowered his head in anticipation, and his fighters had gone silent with their chatter as well. Suddenly, Tanama's head snapped back and her eyes went white. Opening his mouth in shock, Raiden let out a quiet gasp. He knew that face, how is it that a mortal can see the future?

Blinking her eyes back to normal, she stared at her opponent without a word, then, she straightened up out of her fighting stance.

"I forfeit."

Several people gasped, Raiden frowned, and Shang Tsung went red with anger.

Princess Kitana shook her head in disbelief, "you are not allowed to surrender without a fight, the rules of Shao Khan are clear."

"Oh yeah, watched me." Tanama was already walking off the arena.

Jade stepped up but Shang Tsung held out an arm to stop her. "If she wishes to surrender like a coward, then she is free to do so."

Tanama scoffed, "fuck you geezer," turning around to flip him off. Leaving him in rage, she walked past the Shaolin close enough to quietly say "he's all yours monk boy," before walking off to an isolated corner of the room.

Lui Kang raised an eyebrow watching her go, then looked at Raiden. Raiden glanced at his student and nodded. With that, Lui Kang walked up to the plate and took his position.

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I've gotta admit, monk boy is a pretty good fighter, too bad he screeches like a monkey every time he lands a hit. But none of that matters now. Right now, every one is holding their breath; he has passed the round with Ermac, and Scorpion with Quan Chi, now he's in the layer of the beast. I can barely stand up without feeling the need to pass out, I can't believe that the fate of my entire human race is in the hands of some Asian hippie guy that screams like a monkey when he fights.

He's got to win, he's got to win, he's got to win, he's got to win….

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On the carpet, there is a green swirl of a portal being formed. Everyone in the room draws near to it, clenching their muscles and holding on to dear hope. Shang Tsung is smug with his anticipated victory.

The figure appears slowly…and it's the Shoalin! Bless you hippie man, bless you! The room explodes with emotion, the good guys all cheer and clap their hands while the bad guys retreat to their portal. I can't help but to laugh in glee at the outcome, our world is safe.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the guy with the rice hat bow to the Shaolin, but I'm preoccupied. My mission is to find out what Quan Chi is up to after all. But once again, he is nowhere to be found. Grr…

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"Praise the Lord! After nine straight loses, we have finally won!"

"Indeed, it is a great victory," the Shaman agreed.

They were all huddled together in triumph, congratulating Lui Kang. Raiden turned to him and bowed, and Lui Kang bowed right back. Even though it was clear that Raiden was happy, his facial expression was limited, he never did show too much emotion.

Raiden felt relieved at this success, but just for good measure, he took a look at his amulet too see if the future would be fixed. It cracked again. His heart clenched; how could this be? They had won the tournament, yet the future remains in peril…

"Hey, who's that hottie over there?" Oblivious to the discovery Raiden had just made, Johnny was looking at the girl in the corner.

Sonya put a hand on her hip, "you jump around girls like a flea, don't you?"

"Don't be jealous babe, you're always at the top of my list."

Jax didn't like the sound of that, "huh, you have no shame."

Ignoring them, Raiden walked past the fighters and went over to Tanama. She was distracted, looking for something again. "Tanama."

She jumped slightly, "geez, how is it that you keep managing to sneak up on me? You're tall, but you're sure light on your feet." Raiden smiled slightly. "Who are you anyway?"

"I am Raiden, Guardian of Thunder and Lightning, Protector of Earthrealm."

Her eyes went wide. "You're joking right? I mean, I've heard the stories about the guardians by my master, but…you must be joking."

"I'm afraid he isn't" Sonya said. By this time, the group had all gathered together around Raiden.

"Don't worry, we didn't believe it at first either. By the way, my name's Johnny" he said flashing his shades.

"Nice to meet you Johnny. I'm Tanama."

"Tanama? I hope you don't mind me asking, but what kind of a name is that?" Jax crossed his muscular arms.

Nightwolf supplied the answer, "It is Taino, and it means butterfly."

"You know Taino?" Tanama looked at him shocked. "_Han_" he said nodding. "No freaking way!" she smacked him playfully "how?"

"He is Apache, and as a Shaman, he can speak several native languages," Raiden said amused. "Who is your master? I assume you came for the White Dragon."

"Yes, Master Jian sent me here to learn what Quan Chi is up to, and to participate in the tournament of course."

"Jian? Yes I remember him, how is he?"

Tamana looked at him curiously, "he doing fine. Hey, if you really are the guardian, that means you've been around for a long time, right? Wow, I can't imagine all the things you've seen. Could you tell me more about this Shao Khan guy, and the different realms, and such?"

Raiden nodded.

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"Seriously?! Shao Khan is your brother? And Shinnok is your…dad?!"

"Master, why have you never told me this?" Lui Kang and the others were stunned as well.

Raiden just looked at him with those patient eyes.

Tanama shook her head and closed her eyes, "alright, well, if Shinnok is in the Netherealm, and Quan Chi is in the Netherealm, doesn't that mean that they can be hatching a plan?"

Raiden inclined his head to her, "it would make no difference, he is forever exiled there, and the Elder Guardians have forbidden him to leave."

"Well, no offence, but since he's your father, and he used to be an Elder Guardian, that means he's been around the block a few times more than you. He must have something up his sleeve."

Sonya agreed, "Special Forces will watch for any portal activity on Earth. In the mean time, we should get out of here."

With that, Raiden lifted a hand and summoned lightning to form a portal.

While everyone else was walking towards it, Tanama stayed back, eyeing the suspicious looking electric portal, "Umm, look I appreciate all you do, but that thing you call a portal is beyond freaky. I think I'll pass. You don't happen to have a plane around here, do you?"

Raiden gave a small smile and walked back to her. He held out his hand for her to take, but she just looked at him, "trust me, I will not hurt you." Tanama bit her lip, then finally consented.

Taking her hand, he walked her over to the portal. Hearing her squeak slightly, Raiden looked down at her. Her eyes were wide in awe and terror, "I-I don't think I wanna do this," she said, pressing herself against his chest.

"It is alright."

"No it's not, I just straightened my hair, that thing is gonna static everything up!"

He raised his eyebrows in amusement and led her through the portal.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Wow! What is this place?"

"It is the Sky temple; my home."

She looked up at him, "you _live_ here?" He looked down at her, "yes."

"Dang. What's your rent like?"

He did not answer, instead, he led her to the courtyard where the others were.

"What took you so long?" Stryker shouted out, "having trouble with the travel?"

"Oh, shut up smartass," she rolled her eyes. Jax laughed.

Raiden stood silent and everyone gathered together. Tanama looked at him, amazed by how everyone just followed him. He had a sense of silent strength within him, his eyes were full of wisdom, and his humility was remarkably high for someone with this much experience in life. It was strangely attractive…that and his fit muscle body going on over there.

She was so enwrapped in these thoughts that she didn't even notice Raiden looking at her, awaiting her response. She blinked, and blushed a little, "what was that?" She couldn't believe she was ogling the Guardian of Earthrealm's muscles. Yikes, hope he didn't notice…

"We wanted to know if you would become a member of our group officially." Raiden had indeed noticed, but thought it wise to mention nothing on the matter.

"Oh! Haha, of course! Why not!" She awkwardly put a hand behind her neck and closed her eyes, smiling.

"Alllright then, welcome to the Earthrealm Defenders," Jax said, wondering at her strange manner.

"The Earthrealm Defenders? Oh God, you've got to be kidding me with that name right?" Cage said with his hands spread.

Kurtis stroked his chin, "It's not bad, I like it."

"Stryker, you're a cop,"

"So? What are you trying to say Cage?"

"Well, you don't know anything about style."

Kurtis clenched his fists and looked about ready to knock some style out of him.

"_Enough_," Raiden scolded in a loud voice.

…No one said a word.

"Alrighty then, the _Earthrealm Defenders_ it is. Glad to be a part of it, let the adventure begin!" Tanama looked around for approval. Some nodded in agreement.

"Great! Now where's the food, I'm starving."

A/N:

I know that I skipped several fights, but I wanted to speed things up a bit, hope you don't mind. ;)

So I'll be on vacation for the week of the New Years Lord willing and I thought it'd be nice to put up a chap before I go. I hope you like it! Happy New Years! B-)


	9. Chapter 9

Don't own MK, just like writing about it… Chapter 9

"_Liu Kang. Liu Kang, you're right. I wish we had met, under different circumstances." The image of the woman from the tournament in blue bleeding on the temple floor, with Liu Kang holding her hand filled my head. The Earthrealm fighters' lifeless bodies littered the ground, hopelessness and death hung thick in the air._

My eyes snapped open, and with a shuttering breath I sat up quickly in bed. Pressing a hand to my heart, I tried to slow my breathing, and focused on my surroundings. The crickets chirping, the moonlight shining through the Japanese styled door. But none of it soothed me, not after the vision/dream that I just finished having. I needed to get up and about.

I walked out of the room, crossing the courtyard. The night was steady and the temple was quiet, reaching the edge, I looked out into the starry horizon, determined to slow my fast beating heart and calm my mind; Master Jian always said that an unsteady mind, leads to unsteady actions. Breathing in the night air, I closed my eyes for what felt like an eternity.

"Enjoying the night?" came a deep steady voice.

Jumping up, I gave a strangled squeak. I turned around and glared at him, "how, do you keep doing that?! You may be a guardian, but you sure act like a ninja sometimes."

Raiden gave a low chuckle. Walking over to the ledge, he stood beside me, and peered into the horizon. Looking at him from this angle, I couldn't help but to be amazed. Standing some seven feet in height, he appeared to have been carved out of marble. He had the physique of a mythical Grecian god that bespoke of centuries of conditioning, and as compared to the other Earthrealm Guardians, he was easily the most powerful of them all. Yet despite all this, he had the kindest heart, and amazing humility, that showed through in his compassion for all creatures. In my three months of staying at the Sky Temple, I noticed his quiet demeanor, and his willingness for others to succeed. He watched mankind in their struggles to conquer, expand, multiple, advance, all of this in patient silence. He never asked for reward, and he never expected to be known by most of the world, in fact, most people had never heard of him before. I was definitely skeptical of him at first, but in the time that I have been here, I couldn't help but grow fond of him, and within a short time span, he had gained my loyalty and trust.

Noticing my gaze, he tilted his head towards me with those soul-searching eyes of his peering into mine. Blushing, I quickly turned my eyes to the trees surrounding the walls of the temple. But I could still see his eyes in my peripheral vision, so I shifted my hair to the right side of my face, unsuccessfully attempting to block him out of my view.

Thankfully, he turned back to the horizon without a word. I wanted to look at his expression and try to read his thoughts, but I chickened out, and instead, I pretended to be completely fascinated by the form and leafy detail of the tree directly before me. Minutes ticked by in awkward silence.

"You could not sleep?" surprised by his question I looked at him. Raiden making small talk? This is new…

"No." I took a deep breath and looked at the tiles on the floor. "I had another vision."

I immediately had his attention, as his head snapped in my direction. "Raiden. Everyone was dead."

Furrowing his brow, his eyes blazed into mine, "who?"

"Everyone, they were all dead." I told him the details of my vision and looked at him, awaiting a response.

He bowed his head to the floor, until all I could see was his lower jaw, everything else being covered by his hat. After a little while, he responded without raising his head, "it appears that the woman in your vision was Princess Kitana, daughter of Shao Khan. As for the others…did you see who did this to them?"

I shook my head, "No. Raiden, what does this mean? You don't think it will actually happen do you?"

He looked up at me with a surprised expression on his face, "what do you mean?"

I blinked a few times, "well…what I see doesn't always come true. Well, most of the time it does, but if you can react in time, you can actually stop it from occurring. My visions aren't set in stone, they're not that strong."

He shifted his feet and crossed his arms, nodding. "We will have to keep a watchful eye out. Has your master received any additional leads?"

I shook my head again, "unfortunately no, but as soon as I know something, you'll know it too. The White Dragon have been preoccupied with their opening a new base in the States now, and with our new alliance with the Special Forces, and of course the ever present, and ever annoying Red Dragon clan causing more mayhem as usual."

He nodded pensively. Suddenly, a great gust of wind swirled on the tiles, forming the Guardian of Wind. Both of us turned towards him. "Fujin," Raiden said in greeting, Fujin nodded in response, and then turned to look at me, I bowed my head respectfully. I had just met him a month ago, and was surprised by how similar the two were, you could pass them off as brothers, and according to what I could tell, they were as close as brothers. "What brings you here Master?"

"There is trouble in the East," he answered me.

"What kind of trouble?" Came the deep voice.

Fujin turned his attention to Raiden, "it appears that a son of Argus has been causing trouble in the region."

"The son of Argus? Which one?"

"I am not certain, though I believe that it is Taven, or should I say, the whispered rumors in the air claim this."

"I do not believe that Taven could be causing needless destruction." Raiden's eyes swept the floor in thought. "And according to what I understand, the two sons of Argus had been put to sleep for several thousand years. You know their family well, find out what is going on, and let me know, but take care, there may be more to this than we know of."

Fujin nodded in agreement, "yes, I have sent for Ohona to assist in this as well."

I raised a brow, "the son of Argus, now why does that sound so familiar? Of course! I vaguely recall the history book the White Dragon made me read, where it stated the rumor that Daegon is the leader of the Red Dragon. This is, of course, pure speculation."

The two Guardians looked at me in surprise.

"Well, if the Red Dragon is any way involved, I should definitely check this out, the White Dragon will want to hear about this. Guami'ke'na, would you mind if I joined Guami' Fujin in this?"

Raiden lowered his head slightly in approval. I turned to Fujin and held on to him while he teleported us out of the Sky Temple.

A/N:

Taino Language:

_Guami': _ Lord

_Guami'ke'na:_ The Great Lord, usually given to the superior chief

Am soooo sorry it took me so long to update, but with class, work, and everything in between, it can get a little hectic.

So, it's short and sweet today, I really did mean to make it longer, but I lack the creativity to continue at the moment. I'm trying to buff up the details of the surroundings and the emotions now, which is hard for me because I've never been one for details, lol. And I've never really written anything with romance in it quite yet, so I'm hoping that it doesn't come out so cheesy, let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

Still don't own MK, just my OC.

Chapter 10

There's really no way to describe that teleportation. It was extremely…different. When I asked Master Fujin about it, he told me that he had transformed us both into the element of wind in order to transport us away. He said that they (the guardians) are beings of a race called The Eternals, and that their real physical form is whatever their element is, so he actually looks like wind, and Raiden would look like lightning, they only take our form for our sake really.

We were both walking towards the mountain in the middle of nowhere, and while he was ahead of me, not the least bothered by the teleportation, I was still shuddering from the thought of being turned into wind. What's wrong with using an airplane?

Ahead of us a symbol of the Red Dragon on the door way began to come into sight, and I gasped, "they've been here the whole time? Figures that they'd pick the one really secluded spot away from people. Anti-social freaks."

Fujin of course ignored my comment and kept walking. He walked with an air of pure grace, everything about him showed the immortal elegance of a skilled guardian. While Raiden had more of a sturdiness about himself, Fujin held more of an autumn gentleness in his approach, which is ironic since Raiden has more of a gentle, warm-hearted feeling towards his humans than Fujin does.

When we finally reached the entrance, he suddenly put out his arm towards my torso to stop me from walking further. "Ooph, _Guami'_," I huffed; annoyed.

"Silence," he kept his head forward with his eyes scanning our surroundings, as if he was looking for something.

After a few minutes of nothing, I began to grow restless, "what is it?"

He didn't answer me at first, he just kept looking around. Finally he looked at me and said, "Taven is here. I want you hide behind the mountain, I do not know what it is he is doing here, but if he is working with the Red Dragon, then it may not bode well to show yourself as part of the White Dragon."

"But Master, I can fight."

"Not him, he is over 10,000 years old, he is a son of Argus and is far beyond your skill."

"Fujin, I-"

"Do as I say."

Frustrated, I obeyed his command and hid behind the mountain, just enough so that I could see what was going on. Sure enough, a guy with some weird dragon tattooed on his face walked in without seeing Fujin. He was checking out the Red Dragon cave, as if he had never seen it before. Strange…

"Stop Taven," Fujin's whispered voice came from behind Taven.

Surprised, Taven spun around, "Fujin!"

"I sense that there is more to your actions here than is apparent, I _suggest_ you return to Edenia immediately."

Whatever surprise the guy might have felt a second ago subsided. He shook his head, "the Red Dragon has attacked me twice, I'd like to know the reason, and I'm not leaving until I find out why."

Angered, Fujin tossed his head as he spoke, his long braid jerked at the motion, "such ignorance!"

Realizing he had just pissed off a guardian, Taven strove to make amends, without backing down. "I respect you Fujin," he said, bowing, "Put I will not leave."

"Then you leave me no choice," Fujin and Taven got into their fighting stances.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

I don't have a clue how he did it, but the guy managed to beat Fujin, and I couldn't help but wonder why. Had Fujin been weakened from a previous battle? He hadn't told me what he had been up to lately. He seemed to expect this, which, I'm guessing, is why he told me to hide, so that I could tail this Taven.

He had just walked in the lair after bowing in respect to Fujin. I went over to Fujin and knelt over him. "My Lord. My Lord, are you all right?" He was out cold. That bastard was going to pay for this.

As I walked in, I heard a conversation between Taven and another guy. I rounded a corner and pressed my back against the wall. Then I noticed the Red Dragon sign on the other guy. Daegon! So he was real!

Not caring what their conversation was about, or that there's no way I could beat Daegon, I came out of my hiding place and confronted the Red Dragon leader. "Daegon!" At that moment, I wasn't particularly interested in wisdom, just retribution for what he did to my clan.

Both men turned around, their expressions containing controlled shock. Daegon was the first to speak, "who are you, and how did you get here?"

"I am Tanama, of the White Dragon clan."

His face turned from anger to amusement. "Aaah, so you are the infamous Tanama. Yes, I've heard about you. Caused my men quite a bit of grief, yet from the description they've given me of you, you seem to rather enjoy that. Of course, that's not to say that they didn't either."

I crossed my arms. "I find your nomenclature of me to be most appalling," I said in a monotone voice.

He gave a low chuckle, "well, as much as I would love stay here and get to know you, I have far more important things to deal with."

Oh Hell no. "You're not going anywhere scum, you or your accomplice," I snarled, pointing in Taven's direction.

Taven drew back, appearing insulted, "accomplice? I do not work with him. I was trying to find out who the Red Dragon were and why they were attacking me. Turns out my own brother seeks to have me killed."

Stunned, I looked from Taven to Daegon. Daegon only smiled, then turned to his lackey, "get rid of them." The freak bowed dutifully and Taven prepared for another fight.

I could not believe this. "How dare you! I am the leader of the White Dragon division in the States, and I have clearly challenged you, would you walk away from the challenge as a coward?"

Daegon just kept walking, "Do not presume to know anything about me, for it is not out of fear that I leave, but merely because you are beneath me," he explained casually over his shoulder. He signaled to another minion to stop me.

Enraged, I took out all my humiliation on the little brainwashed Red Dragon crony.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

In no time, both Taven and I were victorious over our opponents, and we stood there looking at each other. I would have gone after Daegon at that moment, but he had already disappeared.

"Who are you?"

I raised an eyebrow, "you really didn't hear everything I just finished saying?"

"I heard, but…the White Dragon, the Red Dragon? What is going on?"

"Hmm…Lord Raiden did mention that you had been asleep for several thousand years."

"Lord Raiden? Where is he? It would be nice to see a familiar face that doesn't try to attack me."

I smirked, "Yeah, he's at the Sky Temple, but he doesn't know what's going on here either. The White Dragon is a group that was created a while back to stop tyranny in China. They have since then worked with the Thunder Guardian to combat the forces from other realms as well as the forces of darkness within Earthrealm itself such as the Red, and Black Dragon clan. It was just recently after Liu Kang won the tournament that I pushed for them to expand the division to the U.S."

"Black Dragon? Liu Kang? Tournament? How long have I been asleep?"

Interrupting the conversation came an Australian accent, "Those stupid sons of bitches will never catch me."

I tilted my head curiously, "Kano? What are you doing here?"

He blinked, "Oh, Tanama is it? These bastards have been cross experimenting on animal and human DNA."

Taven walked over to him, "is that what they were planning on doing to you?"

He shook his head; "they were planning something special with me. But they'll never catch me."

I closed my eyes in concentration, "wait a minute. You mean to tell me that since the tournament, you've been stuck here as they're lab rat? What, did Shang Tsung just leave you here?"

"I don't need him getting in my business, and I don't need yours either," he leaned forward and jabbed a thumb in his chest as he spoke. And with that, he ran.

This didn't suit Taven very well, "Wait, I have more questions for you."

I snorted quietly, this guy was something else. "Well, I'd better get going, wherever Kano is, Sonya is sure to be near. And I need to find Lord Fujin, whom you beat up and _left_ out there. Some friend you are."

Ignoring my last comment, (as most immortals seem to be immune to my sarcasm) he asked me if Sonya was part of Special Forces, "yeah, why?"

"I was attacked by her not too long ago."

"Really? Why, what did you do?"

Taven shrugged, "She mentioned something about a 'Sektor' and a tracking device."

"A tracking device? Did you get captured recently?" He nodded. "Sektor is a, or _was_ a Lin Kuei member gone bad. If he captured you, he must have put something in your skin to trace your location, wherever you went. Since he is our enemy, Sonya would have thought that you are the enemy too, and of course, you not knowing anything about it doesn't help. Sometimes, ignorance isn't bliss."

I walked up to him, "here, give me your arm." He extended his arm cautiously, eyeing my movements while I kneaded his hand with my fingers, searching for the chip. Finally, I found it, "there it is, it's an RFID, no wonder the signal was so powerful." I took out my knife, "now don't freak out, I just need to cut your skin and take it out, otherwise, they'll follow you everywhere."

He nodded, "I understand." So I took the knife and, as gently as I could, dug out the little perpetrator. This man must be made of stone, because he only grimaced once very slightly.

Blood was seeping out, so I took my hand and used my energy to heal him. He looked at me, astonished. "Raiden taught me that," I explained, smiling.

He took his hand back and rubbed it with his other hand, "I didn't know that Raiden trained people."

I shrugged, "he does from time to time. Well, now that this thing is out, they shouldn't follow you anymore. I'll take the chip somewhere away from here and destroy it to lead them away."

He looked at me for a second, "thank you. You have been very kind."

"Yeah, well, I should slap you for hurting Fujin, but I figured you're not so bad after all. My name is Tanama, and in case you need anything," I gave him a wrist transmitter that SF usually gives to allies, "just press this button and you can reach me anytime."

He nodded, and we split ways.

MKMKMKMKMK

I had to get back to Guami' Fujin, and make sure he was ok, but by the time I got there, he was gone. I remembered Fujin mentioning something about Lord Ohona doing some assistance in this matter, but he was nowhere to be found either. Unsure of what to do, I used my wrist transmitter to contact Sonya. And just as I had suspected, she was not far from this area.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMK

Somewhere, in the far out region of the universe, beyond the galaxies, beyond the stars, out to a place where there was only pure darkness, a being stirred. For far too long had he been trapped by the Elders, for too long had they denied him of his power. It was not his time to act yet, but the time was coming. He had been slowly poisoning the mind of Shinnok, and Quan Chi, and had successfully assisted in awakening Onaga. Soon his time would come. Soon, he would destroy them all.

A/N:

Taino Language-

_Guami': _ Lord

Midterms this week! Gotta love it! :(

I thought I'd dish out another chapter as a distraction, but I really gotta get back to righting my essay now, lol.

Obelisk of Light:

Hahaha, I love your pun, it's very _punny_. Maybe I should rename the title something like _Sparks Fly_, lol… I'm just kidding.

And yeah, the Armageddon thing: I wanna combine that and the Deadly Alliance, but the original writers had made the stories very different, like some characters had died in one story and the other didn't. I also love the part when Raiden was an Elder, then he went back to Earthrealm after seeing that the other Elders weren't going to help (I think that was Deadly Alliance). So I'm gonna do my best with this, and I hope it turns out well, but it's definitely throwing me all over the place.


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